Baked Vanilla Cheesecake

Bake off - eat your heart out.

Makes: about 12 mini cheesecakes

For the buttery biscuit base:

20 digestive biscuits

2 tbsps melted butter

2 heaped tbsps peanut butter

pinch salt

For the cheesecake filling:

560g full fat cream cheese

2 eggs

50g sugar

150g thick greek yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla

Seeds of vanilla pod if you’re feeling fancy

For the choc covered strawbs:

2 punnets strawberries

100g dark chocolate

100g milk chocolate

1 crunchie bar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

In a food processor blitz the digestive biscuits into a crumb. Add the melted butter, peanut butter and salt and continue to mix until the mixture will stick when compressed.

Line a muffin tray with cupcake cases and press about a tablespoon of biscuit base into each one. Everyone likes the base so no holding back! 

Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and mix using an electric whisk (or hand if you don’t have one). Crack in the eggs and continue to beat. Finally add the greek yoghurt, sugar, vanilla, vanilla seeds and an extra pinch of salt.

Divide the cheesecake mixture between the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes. It may seem a little runnier than usual but will set when baked. The cheesecakes are ready when the top is just turning golden brown. You will notice they rise and then collapse whilst cooling, this is totally normal.

Leave the cheesecakes to cool before handling. Once cool enough place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour, or longer.

Once chilled, wash the dry the strawberries. Remove the cheesecakes from their cases and place on a tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Bash the crunchie bar into beautiful golden crumbs. Melt the chocolate in separate bowls. Using a knife or whatever utensil you have around drizzle the cheesecakes with melted chocolate. I like a mix of dark and milk chocolate.  Then dip the strawberries into melted chocolate and use them to top each individual cheesecake.

There will hopefully be some strawberries left over to dip in chocolate and sprinkle with bashed up crunchie for the perfect platter. Or sprinkle the crunchie over the top of the cheesecakes. Whatever you prefer. This would also work great with a bashed up flake, more digestives or ginger nuts.

Return the cheesecakes to the fridge to cool. Serve cold, preferably with good company.